Man murdered in East Rock

New Haven saw its 29th homicide of the year Friday afternoon in East Rock.

Two cars were approaching each other from opposite directions on Edwards Street when one pulled in front of the other, according to New Haven Police Department spokesman David Hartman. Occupants of each car got out and a fight ensued, during which one occupant shot another, Hartman said, before the cars drove off without the victim, a black male in his early 20s.

The New Haven Police received reports of a shooting at 3:40 p.m. and responded, finding a male who had suffered a gunshot wound to the chest. The victim, whose name is not being released pending family notification, was rushed to Yale-New Haven Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Hartman said the investigation is in its preliminary stages, with detectives following any possible leads. A forensics team was on the scene an hour after the homicide.

Although overall crime is down by about 9 percent this year, homicides are set for their highest rate in decades. This death is the city’s 29th in 2011, the highest number of homicides since 1994, which saw 32.

Check back for updates throughout the weekend.

Comments

Sara

Keep in mind the context that this is the first murder in East Rock probably in a decade or more. The area is very safe. A shooting like this is very traumatic to residents nearby, but luckily no residents of East Rock were directly involved. That said, the murder and violence is way too high in US cities — New York City had 48 shootings last weekend, for example — and our country needs to do something about it.